Foundation season 3 is no longer lost in space following a number of reported production problems.
According to Deadline, development on the popular Apple TV Plus sci-fi series is back on track after a brief delay owing to multiple issues, including season 3's filming budget. Principal photography is believed to be pencilled in to restart on March 6 in the Czech Republic and Poland.
The news comes two weeks after we reported that Foundation season 3 faced an agonizing filming delay amid the aforementioned complications. At the time, its cast and crew were sent home until these problems could be ironed out – and now that they apparently have been, Foundation's creative team, ensemble cast, and large crew will reconvene to start shooting once more.
While this is good news for all concerned, there are caveats to Foundation season 3's filming restart. As noted by Deadline, the series' production budget has been slashed, though it's unclear by how much. Meanwhile, showrunner David S. Goyer, who was in line to direct multiple episodes of the sci-fi extravaganza, won't helm any more season 3 entries. Apple Studios is reportedly on the hunt for other filmmakers to direct its remaining episodes.
When will Foundation season 3 be released on Apple TV Plus?
We're unsure, but it definitely won't be released on one of the world's best streaming services in 2024. Principal photography began on Foundation season 3 in Q1 2023 but, just weeks into its initial shoot, production was shut down due to last year's Hollywood writers strike, which began in May. The Hollywood actors strike quickly followed in July and, with deals to resolve these bouts of industrial action not reached until September and November 2023 respectively, no work was carried out for a substantial amount of time.
Deadline has claimed that only half of the series' third season had been shot before last year's strikes, which strongly implies that one of the best Apple TV Plus shows wouldn't be ready to return to our screens this year. With its original February 2024 production restart date delayed due to numerous off-camera problems, that certainly won't happen now; indeed, with each season's visual effects-heavy post-production phase taking a year to complete, I suspect we won't see season 3 debut on Apple TV Plus until mid-2025 at the earliest.
Disappointing as it is to learn that Foundation season 3 won't air for a long time yet, there's plenty to look forward to on Apple's streaming service in the coming months. In early February, the tech giant unveiled its exciting 2024 Apple TV Plus lineup, including four shows in particular that I simply can't wait for.
